odysseycreative Review of Wolf

Wolf (I) (2012)

WOLF - A riveting independent drama with an important message

[8/10 · 6 August 2012]

In a summer of great blockbusters like THE AVENGERS AND THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, it was great to see a film that was made for a much smaller budget, but made a much more profound impact. I was so impressed with just about every aspect of WOLF. Ya'ke has always done a great job getting the best performances possible with every actor he has worked with. I was able to first witness this watching some of his earlier films, but he has allowed his actors to take it to a whole new level in WOLF. Each and every actor in the film did a brilliant job portraying his or her character. Jordan Cooper was captivating in his first performance in the lead role as the tortured and tormented Carl. Ya'ke's wonderful wife, Mikala Gibson, also was astounding in her role as Carl's mother, Nona. Shelton Jolivette, who played Carl's father, Jaymund also was compelling as the father who struggles with trying to comprehend what his son has gone through. Another amazing standout performance had to be Eugene Lee, who played Bishop Anderson in such a way that you hate him for what he's done, but you pity him because he is just a product of a vicious cycle that has caused him to prey on young boys the same way he was preyed upon as a young boy. I truly believe the best screen villains are the one's that we as the viewers are able to see what drove them to become a villain through a background story that helps their character development. Ya'ke did a great job showing this with Bishop Anderson. Another reason that this film is so profound and important is because it covers crimes and issues that do not get the attention they deserve. There are too many pedophiles and rapists out there today that have truly not paid the price for their vicious crimes, which is also a very important plot line in a feature that we have been planning for several years called SOLITAIRE. Like I had mentioned to Ya'ke, I am so glad that he is covering hard to discuss topics like these because too many people out there have had to deal with these types of crimes, including a few people very close to me. This is one the main reasons I wrote SOLITAIRE and feel even more inspired after watching WOLF last night to get it made and use it as a tool to garner public opinion on crimes that go unpunished or are not punished severely enough. If WOLF is playing anywhere near you, please go see it. I have no doubts that it will easily be selected to screen at many of the great film festivals around the world, including Sundance. I pray that it picks up a great distributor and has the opportunity to be seen by millions worldwide, because there are too many films that get that opportunity that cannot hold a candle to the power of WOLF. A few major reasons that I will continue to support Ya'ke and believe we have been able to connect are because of several important parallels in our lives. We are both indie directors who love to show our wives amazing acting skills on screen, have a strong faith in God, and routinely use film as a medium to show how darkness can become light. I am so proud of everyone involved in getting WOLF created and wish you all nothing but success. Congratulations on making such a riveting feature and God bless you all.